Grain Brain: Gluten linked to dementia

Rash is linked to using wet wipes

In the Medscape news January 13, 2014, an online case report published in the journal, Pediatrics, reports that the preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI) in wet wipes leads to severe allergic contact dermatitis that may be mistaken for impetigo, eczema, or other skin disorders.

Larry Hand from Medscape writes, “Mary Wu Chang, MD, from the Department of Dermatology and the Department of Pediatrics, and medical student Radhika Nakrani, BS, from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, report that 6 children have presented with “chronic, recalcitrant perianal and/or facial dermatitis” after the use of 2 brands (Cottonelle and Huggie) of wet wipes. The problems resolved quickly and completely after use of the wipes stopped.”  The authors of the study state, “As wet wipes are being increasingly marketed as personal care products for all ages, MI exposure and contact sensitization will likely increase.  Dermatitis of the perianal, facial, and hand areas with a history of wet wipe use should raise suspicion of [allergic contact dermatitis ] to MI and prompt appropriate patch testing.”  In all the cases studied, the authors confirmed that a standard patch testing was performed resulting in low MI concentrations.

According to the Environmental Working Group, this preservative is most irritating to the skin, eyes, and lungs as well as neurotoxic.  The best way to keep germs away is washing with soap and water, and avoiding wet wipes.  While you’re at it, avoid skin products with triclosan (hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial soap) to promote wellness as it is linked to liver and respiratory toxicity.  The EWG reports that “even low levels of triclosan may disrupt thyroid function. Further, the American Medical Association recommends that triclosan not be used in the home, as it may encourage bacterial resistance to antibiotics.”

 

4 ayurvedic secrets for better digestion

Self care and digestion from Mararishi Ayurveda

The ayurvedic approach is considered the world’s oldest healing science and offers some simple solutions to avoid common digestive problems like gas, bloating, stomach pain, constipation, heartburn, and fatigue after eating.

The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians recommends:

1.     Eat sitting down, in a settled environment, without the TV on.

“Our bodies need an uplifting and settled environment in order to process and absorb the nutrients from our meals. If that is not available then we should at least be sitting down to eat — not standing, walking, or driving our way through a meal.  The act of eating is life-giving. The process of eating, according to ayurveda, is something reverent and important for the development of consciousness as well as our physical health. When we sit down to eat our stomach is in a relaxed posture and our awareness is on the taste, texture, and smell of the food. This will greatly improve the digestion.”

2.     Eat a fresh piece of ginger and lemon before a full meal.

“This starts to activate the salivary glands, producing the necessary enzymes so that the nutrients in the food are easily absorbed by the body.  If, however you suffer from too much internal heat and acid, then pomegranate chutney may be more suitable for you.”

3.     Avoid ice cold drinks and food.

“Ayurveda recommends avoiding cold drinks at meals and ice cold foods in general. This is like putting cold water on the burning logs. Iced water, normally served at restaurants, extinguishes the digestive fire. Even juice or milk right out of the refrigerator is too cold for the digestion. Juice should be taken at room temperature and water without ice. Once you get into this habit of drinking beverages at room temperature you will notice a dramatic improvement in your digestion and the way your body feels while eating and after the meal. Cold drinks and foods mixed with warm cooked foods can cause stomach cramps, bloating and general discomfort in the stomach area.”

4.     Lunch should be the biggest meal of the day. Dinner should be lighter and eaten before 8: 00 p.m.

“When the sun is strongest between 12 and 2 p.m. is when the digestive fire is also strongest. Agni is associated with the Sun. This is one of the ways ayurveda seeks to connect our mind and body with the environment.  Ayurveda recommends that lunch be the largest meal of the day since that is the time the digestive agni is working at its maximum potency. As the sun goes down so does our agni.” “Dinner should be lighter than lunch and should ideally be eaten before 8: 00 p.m. Late night meals interfere with sleep and after 10: 00 p.m. the body is working to burn off toxins and continue to digest food from the day. If you eat after 10: 00 p.m., the food may cause toxins to accumulate in the system, and as a result the next day you wake up tired. If you are not able to wake up fresh and clear, then it is important to analyze the quantity of food and the time of night you are eating dinner.”

Adrenal fatigue signs and remedies

Treating adrenal fatigue naturally by foodmatters.tv

Chronic stress makes the aging process go wild and wreaks havoc on your skin.  Acupuncturist and naturopathic practicioner, Carina Harkin, states that high stress hormones at night not only impedes restorative sleep, but also prevents the skin from regenerating.

According to Todd B. Nippoldt, M.D. on the Mayo Clinic website, adrenal fatigue is brought on by constant stress, “perpetual fight-or-flight arousal” of the adrenal glands which are unable to produce enough hormones (adrenaline and cortisol), resulting in feeling constantly worn out.  Although not recognized by allopathic medicine as a legit diagnosis, complementary approaches do regard it as a something not to be ignored.

Take a quiz to see where you stand – adrenally.

1. Do you feel tired for no reason.
2. Are you having trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour.
3. Do you feel rundown or overwhelmed.
4. Do you have difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness.
5. Are you craving salty and sweet snacks.
6. Do you feel more awake, alert and energetic after 6PM than you do all day.

Fortunately, the treatment for adrenal fatigue is a common-sense approach.  It boils down to self care basics – sleep, eat, breathe.

Sleep well by maintaining a sleep schedule.  Go to bed at the same time every night, preferably before 10:30.  Exposure to darkness and keeping a regular bedtime maintains melatonin production.  According to Harkin, “melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland and functions to regulate circadian rhythm and induce sleep.  Melatonin circadian secretion in patients with adrenal-dependent Cushing’s syndrome was shown to be significantly lower compared to healthy control groups.”

Eat well by cutting out processed foods, refined sugar, and caffeine since they can stress adrenals to work harder, further depleting hormones.  Harkin states, “An excessive ratio of carbohydrates to protein results in excess secretion of insulin, which often leads to intervals of hypoglycemia.  Sugar and simple carbohydrates put stress on the adrenal glands due to rapidly shifting blood sugar levels.”  Think vegetables and high quality proteins.  Make it easy on yourself by having it delivered to your house from Johnson’s Backyard Garden or Farmhouse Delivery.

Live well by caring for yourself.  Carina’s advice for stress reduction include calming exercise (yoga, tai chi, walking), aromatherapy, and massage therapy to relieve muscle tension.  I also advocate scheduling a regular blow-out, facial, mani/pedi, or lash session!

Eating nuts during pregnancy may lower kid’s allergy risks

Ben and Scotty eat peanuts

My sister and poor nephew found out (the hard way) that he has a nut allergy.  I can’t imagine a life without almonds, pecans, peanuts, etc. and the poor guy can’t have any of them.  Medscape medical news reports on a recent article published online in JAMA Pediatrics that children who are exposed to peanuts or tree nuts in-utero or via nursing, at least 5 times a week, are significantly less likely to develop nut allergies.  A. Lindsey Frazier, MD from Dana-Farber Children’s Cancer Center in Boston concludes, “Our study supports the hypothesis that early allergen exposure increases the likelihood of tolerance and thereby lowers the risk of childhood food allergy.”  The researchers also note that mothers who consumed the largest amount of nuts were more likely to introduce them to their children earlier.  These mothers also reported the highest consumption of fruits and veggies, which “may also lower risks for allergies and asthma”.

Thanks mom for peanut butter/apples, peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter ice cream, chocolate covered pecan caramels, and pecan pie!

Green juice vs smoothie

Tracey Anderson joins the juicing masses in 2014 with her Liquid Program

My friends from NY don’t get it, but sometimes I’m too hot and lazy to chew food.  I briefly sojourned into juicing but found it too be too time consuming.  Plus, I like consuming the fiber with the juice because it’s how fruits and vegetables are found in nature and it’s more filling.

Nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder writes that “fiber is critical for ongoing cleansing by sweeping out toxins on a regular basis, helping to keep your digestive tract and body clean, and also keeping you more full so that you tend to eat less heavier and/or acidic foods throughout the day.”

It seems like in Austin, doing some sort of cleanse, especially the Master Cleanse or a juice cleanse has become really trendy for weight management.  My interest was sparked when I read that Tracey Anderson is launching a new juice line because she has been vocally opposed to cleanses as a form of weight loss.  She tells LA Confidential magazine that, “juice cleanses are something I am not an advocate of because they actually stop one’s digestive system, which is not something that we want to be doing often. It can actually destroy the way our metabolic rate functions”.  Janet Brill, R.D. agrees, stating that juice cleansing slows down fat burning processes, the body goes into “starvation mode”, and is prompted to rob muscle mass for fuel.

Slowing down your metabolism is counter-productive if your goal is weight management, so her concerns make sense to me.  Also, buying organic isn’t convenient or cost effective all the time, so keeping in mind the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list of the plants most heavily contaminated with pesticides will help in knowing when organic is preferred:

#1 apples; #2 celery; #3 cherry tomatoes; #4 cucumbers; #5 grapes; #6 hot peppers; #6 Imported nectarines; #6 peaches; #7 potatoes; #8 spinach; #9 strawberries; #10 sweet bell peppers; #11 kale/collard greens; #12 summer squash

A shopper’s guide to pesticides

I thought this video was helpful in educating us about when to buy organic versus when conventional is ok:

An apple a day: Make sure it’s organic!

Environmental Working Group Shoppers Guide

Researchers published an article in the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) showing that “small dietary changes as well as increased use of statins at a population level may significantly reduce vascular mortality in the UK.”  They measured an apple-a-day assessment versus statin therapy as preventative treatment to decrease heart disease fatalities.  They found that either approach is effective in reducing mortality and that “choosing apples rather than statins may avoid more than a thousand excess cases of myopathy and more than 12 000 excess diabetes diagnoses”.  In the article, they do not encourage patients to discontinue their statin therapy, rather, they are promoting consumption of apples as a means to reduce risks of heart attacks and strokes.

Keep in mind that apples are the #1 food on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list that ranks foods contaminated with pesticide residue, even when washed and peeled.  So when possible, buy organic.

 

Antioxidants and Cancer: A Complex Process

© Dave Bredeson | Dreamstime.com

A big story in oncology medical news this year came from Nobel laureate James Watson, PhD.  His findings showed that levels of antioxidants in metastatic cancer cells are responsible for resistance to treatment.  As cancer cells evolve, they produce antioxidant proteins such as glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and thioredoxin that prevent cell death caused by treatments.  He theorizes that metastatic cancer in the late stages may be untreatable due to the high levels of these antioxidants in the cancer cells.  He warns that consuming antioxidants in the diet may “more likely cause than prevent cancer”.  His  theory was published online January 8 in Open Biology.

Maurie Markman, MD, national director for medical oncology at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, who writes the Medscape Markman on Oncology blog, commented on the theory.

“The importance of the critical relationship between oxidating activity and antioxidants in the normal functioning of cells has been recognized by many investigators, and it is not surprising that this process would be quite relevant in cancer. However, it must be emphasized that this is a very complex process and the balance between these powerful influences at the cellular level is certain to be very carefully controlled. Further, it should be noted that antioxidants are components of our normal diets. Finally, while a provocative concept, it is most unlikely that a simple approach to somehow removing antioxidants from the body will be a useful strategy in cancer management,” he explained.

Pediatricians Oppose Raw Milk Consumption

Photo from Autumn Orion

In today’s medical news on Medscape, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a new policy statement online in Pediatrics regarding raw milk.  “Pregnant women, children, and infants should consume only pasteurized milk and milk products, and the sale of raw milk should be banned in the United States”.  A report on data collected by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the risk for disease is 150 times higher after consumption of unpasteurized dairy products, and that 60% of the resulting outbreaks involve children.

The AAP states, “[A]mong milk- or milk product–associated foodborne illness outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1973 and 2009, 82% were attributable to raw milk or cheese”.  They also point out that no scientific studies support any health benefits of raw milk consumption and there is “strong scientific evidence that pasteurization does not alter the nutritional value of milk.”  In a 2012 article, Robert Tauxe, MD states that the data from his study demonstrates the relationship between state laws and increased incidence of illness.  He states that “restricting the sale of raw milk products is likely to reduce the number of outbreaks and can help keep people healthier”.  Janis Kelly reports from Medscape news that “of the outbreaks associated with unpasteurized dairy products, 75% occurred in 21 states where it was legal to sell raw milk products during the study period”.

While researching this issue, I found a 2012 anecdotal article from Mother Jones that I thought was helpful to gain some insight.  Kiera Butler writes about her brief love affair with raw milk.  She reports on a mother who switched her son to raw milk to help with his allergies and he ended up with kidney failure from an e.coli infection.  Another case that prompted her to stop drinking it came from reading about a woman who was paralyzed  as a result from campylobactor contaminated raw milk.  She says, “It might taste great, but pasteurization was invented for a reason.”